JRI Recordings is delighted to announce the release of the Jazz Arts Trio's second CD: “Swing of Many Colors.” Where “Tribute” was an introduction to the idea of reinterpreting great jazz trios of the past, “Swing of Many Colors” is total immersion!

Here the trio tackles even more challenging repertoire, most notably a “reperformance” of the entire 1958 Ahmad Jamal Trio LP “But Not For Me: Live at the Pershing.” This was one of the most influential jazz recordings of all time, inspiring Miles Davis and other exponents of the Cool Jazz movement with its use of space and democratic focus on all three instruments. Pete, Pete and Fred felt the entire LP was so miraculously constructed that we couldn’t just pick one tune, but needed to play the entire album as a kind of classical suite.

Hugely challenging for Fred was taking on the idiosyncratic but virtuosic styles of Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea. The trio is also delighted to include a ravishing improvisation by Marian McPartland, one of great ladies of music. The CD features some incredible playing by bassist Peter Tillotson and drummer Peter Fraenkel, who sail through the work of (among others) bassists Ray Brown and Paul Chambers and drummers Ed Thigpen and Philly Joe Jones. And of course they had to include Oscar Peterson! If he has a signature piece, it is “Night Train.” And “Fly Me To the Moon” is one long perfectly crafted crescendo -- Oscar in the mid-1970’s at the top of his game.

The CD is packaged as one of JRI Recordings' elegant “CDBooks” with extensive notes by noted jazz author Scott Yanow and original drawings by Manny Wise.

“Wearing his jazz hat, Moyer teamed with old friends Peter Fraenkel, bass, and Peter Tillotson, drums, to form the Jazz Arts Trio. The group does something unusual: It uses well-regarded jazz recordings as though they were classical scores, reinterpreting them in contemporary studio environments ... Moyer, Tillotson and Fraenkel spiritedly recapture the rapport of Jamal with bassist Israel Crosby and drummer Vernel Fournier ... These are all great as indications of the Jazz Arts Trio’s affinity for diverse trio styles, but the real treasure of this disc is the monument it raises to Jamal and his sidemen at that Chicago gig so many years ago.” THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR

“I was amazed by my initial visceral reaction to George and Ira Gershwin's 'But Not For Me.' This was more than just a transcription and re-interpretation of an influential jazz classic, this was an uncannily accurate transcription of time and history, personal and musical. ... Rogers and Hammerstein's 'The Surrey With the Fringe on Top' made my knees weak ... by the time Karl Suessdorf /John Blackburn's 'Moonlight in Vermont' crested, I needed something to hold on to. ... What is important, and ultimately will be enduring about Swing of Many Colors is the effect it has on its listeners. It is the effect that removes any doubt about the need for such an interpretive retrospective, and makes moot such questions as: Why? Is it necessary?” JAZMUZIC.COM

“A more solid sepia of past jazz giants there isn't!! The Frederick Moyer- Peter Fraenkel- Peter Tillotson jazz group is a dead ringer to re-illustrate the talents of such luminaries as Oscar Peterson, Jarrett, McPartland, Chick, et al. The N. E. based group succeeds in convincing us their listeners that their interpretations create a freshness that is both diverse and dynamic. In their performance, one notes the quality and the pictorial canvas they paint in the re-creation of the art of each artist ... the final musical product remains fresh and young!” THE CABARET EXCHANGE